Spout-support.



PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

.M. STEELE. I SPOUT SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1905. RENEWED'JULY 15, 1907.

2 $HEBTS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEBrll, 1908.

B. M. STEELE.

SPOUT SUPPORT.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 26, 1905.. RENEWED JULY 15, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET- z.

1n: NORRIS PETERS 60.. wlsnmcmn, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

BENJAMIN M. STEELE, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BEN STEELE WEIGHERMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

SPOUT-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1i, 1908.

Application filed May 26- 1905' Serial No. 262331- Renewed July 15.1907- Serial No. 383.926-

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, BENJAMIN M. STEELE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSpout-Supports; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable. othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to a new and improved spout support; and tomeans for connecting the head of the spout with a receiving hopper,preferably attached to a grain elevator or to the elevator tubes of agrain elevator and wei her.

The object which I ave in view is to pro vide a simple and convenientmechanism for supporting the body of the spout and a lock which iseasily manipulated for fixing the angle at which the said spout isadjusted.

The invention comprises a spout to which is attached a bar of suitablelength lying parallel with the spout and secured to the spout,preferably at its opposite ends; to a yoke slidable on the said bar; toa member eccentrically pivoted to the yoke adapted to have a camengagement with the said bar; to a rod with which one end of the memberis pivotally connected, and a rope having connection with a ringslidable on the rod. A pull on the rope raising the rod and releasingthe member from the bar when the spout may be lowered; the engagement ofthe member with the bar occurring upon the release of the rope, when thespout will remain in a fixed position, relative to vertical movement.The spout may be raised, by raising the spout independent ofthe ropeconnection, when the member will automatically adjust itself and lockimmediately upon the release of the spout.

The invention consists further, in the mechanism to which the head ofthe spout is swiveled, whereby the same may have a horizontal as well asvertical movement. This mechanism consists preferably of a support orbracket attached to an elevator tube; to a hopper supported by the saidbracket, and a spout-head revolubly connected with the bracket to whichthe head of the spout is pivoted.

The invention comprises details of construction to be hereinafter moreparticularly fixed position; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.

2, but showing the member released from the bar, adapting the spout tobe raised or lowered; Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the spout, toillustrate the detail construction of bar attached thereto, the yoke onthe bar and the member eccentrically pivoted to the yoke; Fig. 5 is anenlarged vertical section showing the detail constructionv of thebracket to which the hopper is attached and upon which the spout-head isrevolubly carried; Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in section, of theparts seen in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the spout-head, whichconsists of two hin ed sections; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the brac retwhich is secured to the elevator tube, to which the rod which supportsthe outer end of the spout is secured, andFig. 9

is a sectional elevation of parts seen in Fig. 8. In the drawings,particularly Fig. 1 is shown a double-tube grain elevator and .weigher;consisting principally of the tubes adapted to be operated in a suitableway,

carrying clutch devices (not shown) which adapt the, said shaft to beintermittingly actuated. This clutch mechanism is usually controlled bya scale-beam 7 which supports a weighing hopper 8, having the usualvalve and operated alternately with the spoutgate.

To the tube 1., at a suitable point below the head 3 I secure thebracket 9, which consists of the semi-circular parts 10 and 11 whichencircle the tube and bolted together as shown. The section or part 10has the two web extensions 12 which merge into the annular tapered ring13, having the depending flange portion 14 provided with the lateral andcircular flange portion 15. Supported by the ring 13 is the hopper 16having lower tapered walls-conforming to the taper of the wall of thering 13. The upper part of the hopper is braced by the bracket 17 whichis bolted or otherwise suitably secured, both to the tube 1 and thehopper 16. The top of the hopper 16 is disposed beneath the lower end ofthe aforementioned weighing hopper 8, in such a position, that, as theweighing hopper descends and its valve is opened, the contents thereofwill be discharged into the hopper 16, pass through the same and thering 13, to the spout which will be described as being swiveled to thebracket 9 or the ring 1.3 thereof.

A spout-head consisting of the semi-circular parts 18 and 19 isrevolubly mounted on the flange portion 15 of the ring 13 of the bracket9. The parts 18 and .19 are hinged together at 20 and when in place onthe ring are bolted together at 21 to securely hold the parts in place,and yet allow the same to rotate on the flange 15. Each part 18 and 1.9is further provided with the matching semi-circular groove 22 into whichthe ring 15 is carried when the said parts are in place on said ring.The part 19 is also provided with an inverted hood portion 23 onto whichgrain falls as it passes through the head on its way to the spout whichis pivoted thereto. This spout which has been referred to is indicatedas 24 and is pivoted to the hood of the spout-head at 25 by being boltedor otherwise suitably secured thereto. The construction of the head endof this spout being such that it may be raised or lowered on its pivotand yet always remain in a position to receive grain from the spoutheadwithout danger of leakage. And the spout-head being revoluble on thering 13 of the bracket 9, adapts the spout 24 to be swung into differenthorizontal positions.

At a suitable point on the spout 24, pref erably the under side, I haverovided a rec-v tangular bar 25 of suitable ength, spaced a shortdistance from the tube and has its ends secured to brackets 25 and 26secured to the tube, the bracket 26 being provided with an eye or ring27 for a purpose to be described.

Slidable on the bar 25 is a yoke 28, between the free ends of which ispivoted a link or member 29. The same has the solid head portion 30which is eccentrically pivoted at 31 in the yoke 28. The opposite endportion of this link or member is split as at 32 to adapt it to have apivotal connection at 33 with a plug 34 seated in the end of a tubularrod 35; the same being detachably held in the rod by means of acotter-pin.

The rod 35 extends back to within a suitable distance of the elevatortube 1, and at its rear end has a plug 36 detachably held therein bymeans of a cotter-pin 37. This plug has an eye which has a toggleconnection with an eye 38 of a two part bracket, consisting of thesections 39 and 40 clamped in the manner shown to the tube 1.

The toggle connection of the rod 35 to the bracket adapts the forwardend of this rod to raise or lower with the spout 24 and also, to swingas the spout 24 is swung into different horizontal positions.

On the rod 35 is slidably carried a ring or loose collar 41 to which isconnected a rope 42 which is fed through the eye or ring 27 of thebracket 26 and allowed to hang in a position within easy reach of anoperator.

The form of the member or link 29 is to provide a cam engagement betweenthe head portion 30 thereof and the under side of the bar 25; the weightof the forward end of the rod 35 which has a pivotal connection with themember 29 causes the head 30 of the member to impinge the face of thebar and lock the parts in immovable position, until the member is swungon its pivot in the yoke 28 somewhat in the position seen in Fig. 3 whenthe spout 24 may be raised or lowered.

The rope 42 is provided, so that an operator wishing to lower the spoutmay pull down the same, which will raise the rod 35 and release themember. When in the position desired, the rope is released, when the rodwill drop and lock the member against the bar, substantially as seen inFig. 2.

To raise the spout 24, the operator will lift on the free end thereof,without the aid of the rope; the member 29 adapting itself to the changein position and locking against the bar automatically upon the releaseof the spout. Upon the raising or lowering of the spout, the yoke willslide on the bar, as is ap parent, and in the same manner will the ring41 slide on the rod 35 to adapt itself to the change of position of therod and the spout.

Attention is directed to the mounting of the spout 24 to adapt it to beswung vertically and horizontally where it will remain until againdisturbed. It is the pivotal connection of the spout with the head 25which is located in the same Vertical plane with the connection of therod 35 with the two part bracket described. Were these connections otherthan in line it would be impossible to insure the spout remaining in itsadjusted position horizontally, because of its tendency to return to itsoriginal position.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim and desire to secure by Letters 2. In a device of the classdescribed, the comblnation with an elevator tube, a bracket secured tosaid tube, having an annular tapered ring removed outwardly from thecombination with an elevator tube, a bracket secured to said tube,having an annular tapered ring removed outwardly from the tube, a hoppersupported on said ring and tapered to conform to the ring, a bracket forbracing the upper part of the hopper from the tube, a hinged spout-headrevolubly mounted on the ring, and a spout pivotally connected to thesaid spout-head.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with an elevatortube, a bracket secured to said tube, and provided with an annular ringconnected with the bracket by arm extensions, a hopper supported on thering, a discharge spout swiveled in a suitable manner to the ring of thebracket to adapt it to have vertical and horizontal movement, a rod forsupporting the outer end of the spout, a locking device between theouter end of said rod and spout, and means for supporting the inner endof the rod from the elevator tube.

5. In a spout support, the combination of a spout, a bar connected tothe spout, a yoke slidable on the bar, a member pivotally connected tothe yoke and adapted to have a cam engagement with the face of said bar,and means for holding the member in cam engagement with and releasingthe same from such engagement with said bar.

6. In a spout support, the combination of a spout, a rod for supportingthe outer end of the spout, a member pivotally connected to the rod andadapted to intermittingly engage means on the spout, the weight of therod retaining the member and spout in locked relation, and means forreleasing the member.

7. In a spout support, the combination of a spout, a rod for supportingthe spout, a bar carried parallel with the spout and secured to thesame, a yoke slidable on the rod, a member pivoted to the end of the rodand also pivoted eccentrically to the said yoke, the weight of the rodcausing the member to impinge the face of the bar, and means forreleasing the member.

8. In a spout support, the combination of a spout, a bar attached to thespout, a yoke slidable on the bar, a member eccentrically pivoted to theyoke and adapted to have an impinging engagement with the race of thebar, and means attached to the member for automatically causing themember to engage said bar. i

9. In a spout support, thecombination of a spout, a bar attached to thespout, a yoke slidable on the bar, a member eccentrically pivoted to theyoke and adapted to have an impinging engagement with the face of thebar, a rod supported at one end and pivotally connected to the member atits opposite end, and by its weight adapted to hold the member inengagement with the bar, a rope connected to the rod, by means of whichthe rod may be raised to release the member from the bar.

10. In a spout support, the combination of a spout, a rod for supportingthe spout, a bar lying parallel with and beneath the spout and securedat its opposite ends to brackets attached to the spout, one of saidbrackets provided with an eye, a member adapted to have an impingingrelation with the face of the bar, connections between the member androd, a collar slidable on the rod, and a rope secured to the collar andpassing through the eye of the bracket aforesaid.

11. Ina spout support, the combination of a spout pivotally supported atits upper end, a rod for supporting the main body of said spout, a barsecured to the spout, and a member pivotally connected with the forwardend of the rod adapted to have an in- -termittent impinging connectionwith the face of the bar aforesaid.

12. In a spout support, the combination with an elevator, a s outpivotally connected to the elevator, a ro for supporting the body of thespout, a bracket secured to the elevator, with which the rod at one endhas a toggle connection, a bar attached to the spout, a yoke slidable onthe bar, a member eccentrically connected with the yoke and adapted tohave engagement with the face of the bar, connections between the rodand member, and means for releasing the member from engagement with saidbar.

13. In a spout support, the combination with an elevator, a spout havinga swiveled connection with said elevator, a rod for supporting the bodyof the spout, a bracket secured to the elevator, a plug detachablyconnected with the rod and having a toggle connection with said bracket,a bar attached to the spout, a yoke slidable on the bar, a membereccentrically connected with the yoke and ada ted to have engagementwith the face of t e bar, a plug having a detachable connection with theforward end of the rod, with which the member is pivotally connected,and means for releasing the member from engagement with said bar.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination of a suitablesupport, .a conveyer spout pivotally connected to said support, a rodfor supporting the body of said spout and also pivotally connected tosaid support, means between the forward end of the rod and the spoutwhereby the same may have a locked relation, the pivot of the spout andthe pivot of the rod to the support aforesaid being in the same verticalplane.

15. In a spout support, the combination of a spout pivotally supportedat its upper end, a rod for supporting the main .body of said spout inadjusted positions, a member pivotally connected with the forward end ofthe rod and adapted to lock the adjusted positions of said spout androd, and a rope connected-with the said member and adapted .when pulleddownwardly to oscillate the member and thereby permit the spout to belowered.

16. In a spout support, the combination of a spout pivotal'ly supportedat its upper said member adapted to automatically lock itself when thespout is raised, and a rope connection with the said member foractuating the same to lower the spout.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN M. STEELE. Witnesses RoBT. N. MCCORMICK, CHAs. WV. LA PORTE.

